Kioscos (kiosks). They come in all different shapes, sizes, and varieties. There is your typical kiosko, about 3 of which can be found on almost any block in Buenos Aires. It sells candy, gum, yogurt, cigarettes, soda, water, crackers, etc. It's great, because you know that a snack is never so far away. They also sell something very important in daily life here - cell phone cards. Rather than paying a monthly bill, many people elect to buy cell phone minutes as they go, and every few days you have to go and buy a new Movistar/CTI/Personell (the different brands) card. Kioscos also exist in other forms... There are kioscos that sell newspapers and kioscos that sell flowers. It's a great system - you can always find something to read, something to eat, and a small gift on every block!
Taxistas (the people who drive taxis). When I'm in a taxi, they are one of my favorite groups of people here. When I'm crossing the street, they are my most feared group of people because they are crazy drivers. Basically, taxistas are a great opportunity to practice my Spanish - we're stuck together in a limited space for 5-20 minutes, why not discuss something? We discuss the weather, politics, my classes, etc. I once had a taxista who was a die-hard Peronist, who decided it was his duty to inform me of the "truths" of Peronism. While I wasn't converted, it was really interesting to see how this political theory that I am studying can be interpreted by different groups of people. They also love to ask me about Bush and what I think of him - one was very curious about why Bush isn't very popular with his own people. I tried explaining it, but I'm not sure how well I did! I've had good luck with honest taxistas - the one time a taxistas missed the turn and the trip took a few extra minutes, he wouldn't accept the $1 extra that the meter charged me.
I was thinking about how much my Spanish (castellano!) has changed over the past two months. Here's a list of my favorite words, most of which are Argentine phrases. It's nice to hear myself using them, it makes me feel like I fit in a bit more :-) If you have a better translation/example, feel free to leave it as a comment!
(1) Vale la pena/no vale la pena. To be worthwhile.
Example:
Me: I really want to go see this movie.
Friend: Don't bother, no vale la pena. The acting is terrible and its boring.
(2) Che! Hey/buddy/yoo-hoo
Friend: What took you so long?
Me: Che! The bus took FOREVER - too much traffic.
(3) Mira vos! Look at you!
Friend: I have a date tomorrow night with an Argentine!
Me: Mira vos! We've only been here two months and you're already dating!
(4) A ver. Literally To see. This is a favorite of my professors. One in particular has a hand motion that goes along with it - something along the lines of "stop in the name of love"
Me: What is the meaning of __________?
Professor: A ver: _________________ (answer)
That's all for today's Spanish lesson. More to come soon, I hope. Life in general continues to be good/uneventful. Yesterday I spent 4 hours in the visa office, and I'm now the proud owner of a visa! However, I currently only have the temporary copy and need to go back in 45 days to pick up the real thing. However, 45 days is the beginning of November and I leave sometime in the middle of December. Oh Argentina.
The other thing I've been thinking about is what it's like to live in the capital city. I walk by the Casa Rosada (Pink House, like our White House) every day, though I have yet to see Kirchner or any other big people. Besides the strike or demonstration going on almost every day, some sort of theater or art event, a sporting event, and a concert is also happening. Its so interesting to live in such a busy, cultural, and political city.
That's all for today folks. For those of you fasting this Saturday I hope you have an easy and meaningful fast. I'm going to be breaking fast at Susana's house with her family and one of my friends, which I've been looking forward to. I'll also be joining her and her family at their synagogue for Neilah (the end of Yom Kippur), where her grandfather went years ago. It should be a very interesting and I feel lucky again to have a family to join for the holidays.
Sending lots of love,
Becca
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Rosh Hashana
Happy New Year everyone! I just spent my first Rosh Hashana here, which was wonderful, strange, lovely, and everything in between. I have been thinking a lot about everyone at home, and hope that everybody has a sweet new year. It was very strange not to be with the family - none of Mom's brisket, no going to grandma's house, and no seeing EVERYBODY on the first day. That said, I had dinner with two wonderful and warm families who invited me into their homes and really made me feel welcome. I am so lucky to have found such a welcoming community to help me feel so at home.
One of the biggest differences between the way people celebrate is that here services are PACKED at night and only half full during the morning. They used a lot of familiar tunes, but even so they were slightly different. The music was beautiful and I enjoyed hearing their stuff, sometimes I just wanted to sing everything the HP/CJC way, with the tunes I already knew. The other big difference was the instruments. At night they had a keyboard and violin and in the morning they had a keyboard and clarinet/saxophone (he switched back and forth). It was really beautiful and went along well with the general vibe.
I had two favorite parts. The first is that everything was very relaxed - this is something that the American community could definitely learn from. People were nicely dressed, but going in corduroy pants and a short sleeve sweater was fine. A few men wore suits, but almost all the women wore slacks - some even wore jeans. The atmosphere in general was much more laid back and felt less formal than American high holiday services. To me, it seemed like people were there because they wanted to be and because they enjoyed it. Everybody sang along and there was a real sense of community between the people. There was the regular cast of synagogue characters, just like we have at home (the old men who know everybody, the lady with the crazy hair, the little kids running around, etc.) which also made me feel more comfortable!
My second favorite part was the sermon. His speeches were interesting, well written, and related well to what people think about. One was about doubting and the importance of doubt in life. It was very timely and seemed to go over very well with the congregation. The other was related and about what can be learned from the story of the binding of Isaac - roughly, whether Abraham was right to have absolute faith and (almost!) sacrifice his son. Besides from the interesting content, I UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE THING! This was particularly important for me - the first time I ever heard him speak I understood most of the speech, but when he really started preaching I lost him completely. This time I knew what was going on the whole time and even understood most of the jokes!
I'm off to bed. Next weekend is what Mom likes to call "the big YK" (Yom Kippur). It should be yet another interesting experience!
Sending lots of love and wishes for a happy sweet new year!
~Becca
One of the biggest differences between the way people celebrate is that here services are PACKED at night and only half full during the morning. They used a lot of familiar tunes, but even so they were slightly different. The music was beautiful and I enjoyed hearing their stuff, sometimes I just wanted to sing everything the HP/CJC way, with the tunes I already knew. The other big difference was the instruments. At night they had a keyboard and violin and in the morning they had a keyboard and clarinet/saxophone (he switched back and forth). It was really beautiful and went along well with the general vibe.
I had two favorite parts. The first is that everything was very relaxed - this is something that the American community could definitely learn from. People were nicely dressed, but going in corduroy pants and a short sleeve sweater was fine. A few men wore suits, but almost all the women wore slacks - some even wore jeans. The atmosphere in general was much more laid back and felt less formal than American high holiday services. To me, it seemed like people were there because they wanted to be and because they enjoyed it. Everybody sang along and there was a real sense of community between the people. There was the regular cast of synagogue characters, just like we have at home (the old men who know everybody, the lady with the crazy hair, the little kids running around, etc.) which also made me feel more comfortable!
My second favorite part was the sermon. His speeches were interesting, well written, and related well to what people think about. One was about doubting and the importance of doubt in life. It was very timely and seemed to go over very well with the congregation. The other was related and about what can be learned from the story of the binding of Isaac - roughly, whether Abraham was right to have absolute faith and (almost!) sacrifice his son. Besides from the interesting content, I UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE THING! This was particularly important for me - the first time I ever heard him speak I understood most of the speech, but when he really started preaching I lost him completely. This time I knew what was going on the whole time and even understood most of the jokes!
I'm off to bed. Next weekend is what Mom likes to call "the big YK" (Yom Kippur). It should be yet another interesting experience!
Sending lots of love and wishes for a happy sweet new year!
~Becca
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Back from Mendoza
Hi All! This update is going to be more newsy, the next one is going to be my reflections on Mendoza :-)
I'm back from Mendoza after a lovely weekend. Mendoza, fyi, is in western Argentina, about 20 minutes from the Andes. The views are completely breathtaking. Thursday night we left and took an uneventful 12 hour busride. We once again got the supercomfy seats, and I had a better than decent night's sleep. I was travelling with one girl, and we met up with a group of 3 others in Mendoza. We got into Mendoza at 9 AM, and by 1:30 we were on a bus, going out to the wine country! We did a program called "bikes and wines," where you ride a bike from one vineyard to the next, where you take tours and learn about the wine making process. Seeing as we got their late we decided to only go to one vineyard and a chocolate factory. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned a lot! We explained to the guy in charge that we had done wine tasting before, and he guided us through it - swirl, smell, taste, etc. It was really interesting to have the list of adjectives that he had used and assign them to the different wines as we tasted them. I'm still no big fan of wine, but I definitely see what there is to appreciate.
Saturday two of our friends went to go skiing, so the other three of us went horseback riding! We went to a national park that had some spectacular views. As someone who had never ridden before I was a bit nervous, but my horse was very gentle and the guide was very helpful. Mostly, my horse did whatever the guide's horse did. Speaking of our guide, we actually had two guides - a normal guide, and a 10 year old boy who came along who was PHENOMENAL on a horse. Besides that, he was also dressed in full gaucho clothing! Afterwards, they made an asado, a traditional Argentine bbq. The best part was that it was completely authentic - this is what they do on the weekends, and we just happened to be included (we were also the only women there, so we got out food served to us and such). It was a great way to experience another aspect of Argentine culture, and talk to some local people.
Sunday we had the most exciting day - hiking and rappelling! We went hiking in the Precordilleros, the oldest part of the Andes and then went rappelling down a small part of it. SO much fun! The views were again stunning - these mountains are incredible! After so much activity, we decided to spend the last day at the hot springs. It was nice to soak our tired muscles and relax in the hot water. We made friends with a group of adults who were traveling for their 30th high school reunion - they had made the same trip after graduating. They were really friendly and gave us some other travelling suggestions. Then we went back to the hostel, showered, and got on a bus back to BA.
Tomorrow night Rosh Hashana begins. I hope that everyone has a Shana Tovah, a happy New Year. It should definitely be an interesting way to bring in the new year down here!
Besos,
Becca
The girls wine tasting. Swirl, smell, taste, etc.
Yes, I am really going down this rock! It was incredible.
A view of the Andes. So beautiful!
I'm back from Mendoza after a lovely weekend. Mendoza, fyi, is in western Argentina, about 20 minutes from the Andes. The views are completely breathtaking. Thursday night we left and took an uneventful 12 hour busride. We once again got the supercomfy seats, and I had a better than decent night's sleep. I was travelling with one girl, and we met up with a group of 3 others in Mendoza. We got into Mendoza at 9 AM, and by 1:30 we were on a bus, going out to the wine country! We did a program called "bikes and wines," where you ride a bike from one vineyard to the next, where you take tours and learn about the wine making process. Seeing as we got their late we decided to only go to one vineyard and a chocolate factory. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely learned a lot! We explained to the guy in charge that we had done wine tasting before, and he guided us through it - swirl, smell, taste, etc. It was really interesting to have the list of adjectives that he had used and assign them to the different wines as we tasted them. I'm still no big fan of wine, but I definitely see what there is to appreciate.
Saturday two of our friends went to go skiing, so the other three of us went horseback riding! We went to a national park that had some spectacular views. As someone who had never ridden before I was a bit nervous, but my horse was very gentle and the guide was very helpful. Mostly, my horse did whatever the guide's horse did. Speaking of our guide, we actually had two guides - a normal guide, and a 10 year old boy who came along who was PHENOMENAL on a horse. Besides that, he was also dressed in full gaucho clothing! Afterwards, they made an asado, a traditional Argentine bbq. The best part was that it was completely authentic - this is what they do on the weekends, and we just happened to be included (we were also the only women there, so we got out food served to us and such). It was a great way to experience another aspect of Argentine culture, and talk to some local people.
Sunday we had the most exciting day - hiking and rappelling! We went hiking in the Precordilleros, the oldest part of the Andes and then went rappelling down a small part of it. SO much fun! The views were again stunning - these mountains are incredible! After so much activity, we decided to spend the last day at the hot springs. It was nice to soak our tired muscles and relax in the hot water. We made friends with a group of adults who were traveling for their 30th high school reunion - they had made the same trip after graduating. They were really friendly and gave us some other travelling suggestions. Then we went back to the hostel, showered, and got on a bus back to BA.
Tomorrow night Rosh Hashana begins. I hope that everyone has a Shana Tovah, a happy New Year. It should definitely be an interesting way to bring in the new year down here!
Besos,
Becca
The girls wine tasting. Swirl, smell, taste, etc.
Yes, I am really going down this rock! It was incredible.
A view of the Andes. So beautiful!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Mendoza
Off to Mendoza tonight! Get excited to hear all about my adventures...
for more info, http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html
un besito (a kiss)
Becca
for more info, http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html
un besito (a kiss)
Becca
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Another busy week
I'm taking a break from work, between writing an essay (which I just finished!) and editing it. It's for my film class at UBA - the huge, free, public university. The class is just okay - the professor is very different from what I'm used to. As Mom says, I'm really not at Penn any more! We saw a really interesting movie, Tango Feroz (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108291/). It was a really interesting movie, had great music, and did an interesting job representing and fictionalizing the life of this singer. I had to write an analysis of the movie, synthesizing my own analysis with the work of a few articles we read which deal with film in general. It was an interesting assignment - let's see how I do! One of those things where even after I outlined, more ideas kept coming to me as I wrote the actual assignment.
This week/weekend was very interesting. Friday night my friends and I went to the synagogue that we're going to go to for the High Holidays (its B'nei Jeshurun in NYC's sister synagogue). Afterwards I went to a friends apartment where we watched "The Motorcycle Diares" - IN SPANISH! For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it - its an excellent movie. Saturday night I officially "went out" for the first time in Buenos Aires. I think I made a good choice by going out with a friend who is a "local" - the place we went to was very laid back and a lot of fun. The difference is that where in the US places CLOSE at 2 AM, here the club didn't even open until 1! We showed up at 1:20 and were the first people there. I planned ahead and took a nap, but I had to leave early because I was tired - lots of people stay out 7 AM. And, as luck would have it, I actually ran into a group of girls I'm friends with from my program at the same place and we shared a cab home. Before going out I went out to dinner with my friend from Hillel and her group of friends. I love social encounters where I am the only American - while its strange to be the only one speaking with a thick accent, everyone here is so warm and friendly! The girls were lovely and we had a really nice and delicious dinner (grilled fish - woo hoo!).
Sunday I went to the Hillel "Friendly Group," a Sunday night hang out activity. They attempted to teach us how to play the classic Argentine card game (I think it's called Trucho) and we had burgers. Overall, a very fun night. A quick funny story - the guy in charge was giving directions, and tried to do it bilingually so that everyone would understand. I ended up getting up and translating for him. He was very silly about the whole thing, and sometimes we swapped languages - he would give the directions in English and I'd translate them into Spanish. We got a bit wacky and everybody was laughing by the end.
In other news Spring has Sprung! It's finally getting warm out, which we've been celebrating by walking everywhere, hanging out in the plazas, and wearing short sleeves. It's such a nice change, though it makes me miss the fall. While the flowers are just growing here the leaves will soon be changing color at home. The change of the seasons makes me realize just how long I've been here - almost 2 months. It seems strange that 2 months ago I was living in the US, speaking English, and living with friends/parents. Now I'm in South America, speaking mostly Spanish, and living with Bocha! So little time and so much has changed. Sometimes it feels like I've been here an eternity, and other times it feels like nothing.
I'm off to edit this essay once more before bed. I leave on Thursday to go to Mendoza (http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html). I will once again be traveling by bus - I think I'm going to borrow Harry Potter in Spanish as bus reading! I'm hoping to take a tour of the Andes and see some of the bodegas, the local wineries. Seeing as I know NOTHING about wine, this should certainly be an adventure! A few friends of mine went and said that they give you lessons along the way. Uncle Sandy, we'll have a discussion about Argentine wines when I get back ;-)
That's all for now. Goodnight!
Love,
Becca
This week/weekend was very interesting. Friday night my friends and I went to the synagogue that we're going to go to for the High Holidays (its B'nei Jeshurun in NYC's sister synagogue). Afterwards I went to a friends apartment where we watched "The Motorcycle Diares" - IN SPANISH! For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it - its an excellent movie. Saturday night I officially "went out" for the first time in Buenos Aires. I think I made a good choice by going out with a friend who is a "local" - the place we went to was very laid back and a lot of fun. The difference is that where in the US places CLOSE at 2 AM, here the club didn't even open until 1! We showed up at 1:20 and were the first people there. I planned ahead and took a nap, but I had to leave early because I was tired - lots of people stay out 7 AM. And, as luck would have it, I actually ran into a group of girls I'm friends with from my program at the same place and we shared a cab home. Before going out I went out to dinner with my friend from Hillel and her group of friends. I love social encounters where I am the only American - while its strange to be the only one speaking with a thick accent, everyone here is so warm and friendly! The girls were lovely and we had a really nice and delicious dinner (grilled fish - woo hoo!).
Sunday I went to the Hillel "Friendly Group," a Sunday night hang out activity. They attempted to teach us how to play the classic Argentine card game (I think it's called Trucho) and we had burgers. Overall, a very fun night. A quick funny story - the guy in charge was giving directions, and tried to do it bilingually so that everyone would understand. I ended up getting up and translating for him. He was very silly about the whole thing, and sometimes we swapped languages - he would give the directions in English and I'd translate them into Spanish. We got a bit wacky and everybody was laughing by the end.
In other news Spring has Sprung! It's finally getting warm out, which we've been celebrating by walking everywhere, hanging out in the plazas, and wearing short sleeves. It's such a nice change, though it makes me miss the fall. While the flowers are just growing here the leaves will soon be changing color at home. The change of the seasons makes me realize just how long I've been here - almost 2 months. It seems strange that 2 months ago I was living in the US, speaking English, and living with friends/parents. Now I'm in South America, speaking mostly Spanish, and living with Bocha! So little time and so much has changed. Sometimes it feels like I've been here an eternity, and other times it feels like nothing.
I'm off to edit this essay once more before bed. I leave on Thursday to go to Mendoza (http://www.welcomeargentina.com/mendoza/index_i.html). I will once again be traveling by bus - I think I'm going to borrow Harry Potter in Spanish as bus reading! I'm hoping to take a tour of the Andes and see some of the bodegas, the local wineries. Seeing as I know NOTHING about wine, this should certainly be an adventure! A few friends of mine went and said that they give you lessons along the way. Uncle Sandy, we'll have a discussion about Argentine wines when I get back ;-)
That's all for now. Goodnight!
Love,
Becca
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